The concept of pairing wine to Thai food is about as strange as matching up milkshakes to French cuisine. But Art Paktipatt has mastered a scheme for introducing the almighty grape to the racy flavors of Thailand.

As general manager of Amarin Thai Cuisine & Wine Bar, he oversees the restaurant’s adjoining wine room, which stocks about 180 labels from around the world – Malbecs from Argentina, Pinot Grigios from Italy, Fume Blancs from New Zealand and exclusive names from small producers in California.

A separate front entrance leads into the small, parlor-like wine haunt that is made unique with imported Asian artifacts and upholstered furniture, not to mention the presence of Thai servers adept at recommending particular varietals for discerning guests. The bottle-stocked atmosphere comes as a big surprise when you consider that Thais supposedly didn’t start dabbling in wine drinking until a decade ago.

My companion and I started the evening at the three-seat wine bar, a comfortable nook for chatting with Paktipatt while sampling the daily specials he offers by the glass, which range from $4 to $18 apiece. It’s a pleasant way to seduce your appetite before moseying into the dining room for generously portioned dishes that brim with chilies, garlic and colorful curries.

Appetizers are always a tough pick for me at Thai restaurants because I lust after everything on the list. The platter-size Amarin Starter Combo pretty much fulfilled my demands, as it came stocked with leggy-looking battered shrimp on skewers, standard Satay chicken, delicately crisp egg rolls and a three-alarm, glass-noodle salad (Yum Woon Sen) that sent my companion running to the nearest fire hydrant.

But it was those Angel Wings on the starter menu that piqued our curiosity – drumstick size chicken wings stuffed with pork and served with sweet chili sauce. Eat ’em plain and they taste like something out of a Midwest frying pan. Dip them in the sauce, and you’re in Asia.

As my friend slugged down water and wine to cool down, he zeroed in on one of the menu’s few beef entrees, the Thai Steak. He was hoping for a milder ride this time around and got it. No hidden chili peppers, but rather a subtle Thai spice that further enhanced the marinated meat, which was expectedly a little chewy, although pleasing nonetheless.

I took the masochistic approach, opting for more heat in a dish called Mambo Mambo Chicken. It’s served in a copper pot filled with tender stewed chicken and chunks of ripe mango basking in an excellent curry sauce laced with coconut milk. The natural sugars in the dish actually combat some of the capsaicin in the chili peppers if you’re wise to order it below a level 5.

Meal service ran like a well-oiled machine as we deferred to the staff for our wine selections with each course. Had we done it on our own, Paktipatt says that Thai food matches safely to Pinot Grigio, red Burgundy or light floral zinfandels. Sparkling champagnes shouldn’t be ruled out either.

Amarin is perhaps the only Thai restaurant in San Diego where such vast wine choices exist. Also, the dining room offers half-price deals on bottles every day of the week. The food menu, which isn’t riddled with as many common typos I’ve seen at other Thai joints, offers some exciting choices such as Art’s Roasted Eggplant-Broccoli Salad, Green Tea Roasted Chicken, Mussels in a Clay Pot and a chicken-shrimp sauté served in a fresh pineapple, called Amarin Crater. A nice selection of noodle and fried rice dishes round out the list.

Fittingly, the name Amarin refers to a deity in Thai culture – the king of all angels. The restaurant’s sovereign approach to food quality and service extends right through dessert. We chose the only item made in-house, an attractive plate of fried bananas with a big, thick scoop of green tea ice cream. A glass of Stuart Cellars Port my companion ordered put the cap on this one-stop wine tasting-dinner experience, which gives Amarin a competitive edge over its neighboring counterparts.